Scientists in India’s capital Delhi have drawn up plans to induce artificial rain in an unconventional attempt to reduce smog, as authorities scramble for ways to ease the country’s catastrophic air pollution.
The plan involves dropping salts or silver iodide into clouds from an aeroplane in order to spur the formation of rain droplets in a process known as “cloud seeding”. Backers hope the resulting rain will help to clear pollution from the dirty air.